what are Master Replicas plans now?

[Maxu3x]

Does anyone know what master replicas will do now as far as creating the lightabers? Now that the films are done they don't have anymore to produce and It seems like they've already made all of the old ones. They could remake the sold out limited editions from the past but it seems unlikely because they already set a limited quantity.

[decadentdave]

Beginning this year they are introducing the Collector's Editions which include already sold out versions of the LE and SE lightsabers. These will be contructed of lesser quality materials and will be lighter in weight for those who want costume prop replicas instead of museum quality. Expect these to be cheaper than the LE's. Great for those who missed out on the LE's or couldn't afford it. More $$$ for MR. More FX lightsabers including Obi-Wan ROTS and Darth Maul and a Qui-Gon Jinn LE.

[starwarsfan1]

Any word on a Qui Gon FX or Scaled saber?

[Jayspawn]

I believe they have a scaled Qui-Gon saber on tap. With the exception of several helmets, I think MR has fewer SW days ahead then there are behind.

[nash]

Oh I think the end is certainly NOT near for MR in regards to lightsabers. With the new CE sabers, they can basically go back and remake every single saber. I know many people disagree but I predict that the CE price point will push up the LE price atleast $50. Therefore you'd still be paying a small premium for something of a lesser quality and not limited AND paying atleast $420 for a LE since you can only get them direct through MR. No more wholesale prices from dealers.

In addition to the CEs, MR seems to have found success in its EE line as well. This is another good way for MR to "rehash" an old saber design. Maybe they dont produce as many as the LE counterparts, but the EEs pricepoint is way higher than a LE.

Who knows what type of spin-off or variant MR will come up with next. Im just praying that they will not make a full-size line out of this new mace windu "matte" mini. that will be where I draw the line.

It is obvious and we all know that MR is NOT the company that they used to be. Those were the good old days...

[decadentdave]

No, MR is not the company they used to be. Blame it on the economy and an oversaturation of product licensing in which they must compete for the consumer dollar. This has forced them to impose annual membership fees to join the Collector's Society to purchase even higher priced Elite Editions to keep the company going. I love Master Replicas products and I think they could be offering so much more product from Star Wars and other licenses for many years to come, but they have resorted to falling back on gimmick offerings (gold minis, CE and EE) to maintain revenue. With so many of their best products at such high price points and they have not been selling out and are forced to practically liquidate their inventory at firesale prices, the scaled replicas and FX sabers and support from CS memberships have been keeping them afloat. I do wish they could bounce back and return to the way they were in the first few years but I just don't see that happening with the current state of the economy. Perhaps when we have a Democrat in office whose priority is to our nations economy and not the imperialistic enforcement of foreign policy and ridiculous gas prices, we can get back to the fun days of collecting again. These are tough times and they are affecting EVERYONE in some way. Just take a look at Toys R Us and all the other businesses that are closing shop. It's a tell-tale sign that things are not as good as the media perpetuates.

[starwarsfan1]

No, MR is not the company they used to be. Blame it on the economy and an oversaturation of product licensing in which they must compete for the consumer dollar. This has forced them to impose annual membership fees to join the Collector's Society to purchase even higher priced Elite Editions to keep the company going. I love Master Replicas products and I think they could be offering so much more product from Star Wars and other licenses for many years to come, but they have resorted to falling back on gimmick offerings (gold minis, CE and EE) to maintain revenue. With so many of their best products at such high price points and they have not been selling out and are forced to practically liquidate their inventory at firesale prices, the scaled replicas and FX sabers and support from CS memberships have been keeping them afloat. I do wish they could bounce back and return to the way they were in the first few years but I just don't see that happening with the current state of the economy. Perhaps when we have a Democrat in office whose priority is to our nations economy and not the imperialistic enforcement of foreign policy and ridiculous gas prices, we can get back to the fun days of collecting again. These are tough times and they are affecting EVERYONE in some way. Just take a look at Toys R Us and all the other businesses that are closing shop. It's a tell-tale sign that things are not as good as the media perpetuates.

I full heartedly agree.

[Jayspawn]

I'm hoping for many more MR Star Wars years to come. At some point I'm probably gonna stop because I refuse to rebuy ANY replica. I think the old glory days are behind but theres some great product potential ahead.

[FalconFreak]

Dudes! The good ole days???! MR is just doing what they would eventually have to do to keep things interesting and the best part is just getting started - STUDIO SCALE. Who else does studio scale? - Nobody. Yeah, we all dreamed of lightsabers and blasters, but my main prize was always the vehicles. That's a whole new market for them and I'm in line to buy! MR is just getting warmed up in my opinion. Hardly loosing any steam at all. A terrible economy could effect them, yes. Let's hope not! Because unlike Yoda said in ESB - there is NO other.